Why is Umbilical Cord Blood Important?
The blood in the umbilical cord us a source of STEM CELLS. These are special cells which have the ability to grow and develop into many different cell types in the body. They are thus of use in many diseases including cancer.
Then should one not store their umbilical cord blood?
The answer to this is Yes and No. The idea to store umbilical cord blood is a good one. The problem is that those who are storing and paying for storing it are being misled. They are assuming that this umbilical cord blood would be of use to them in the future. This is far from true. The chance that the umbilical cord blood stem cells would be used by those who donated them is 1 in 1000 to 1 in 200,000.
So who is misleading us?
We are being misled by false advertising and marketing of companies who bank umbilical cord blood as a for-profit private enterprise i.e. PRIVATE CORD BLOOD BANKING. We are being misled by the celebrities who endorse this practice. We are being misled by those doctors who promote this practice.
So is all umbilical cord blood banking bad?
No, banking umbilical cord blood in PUBLIC CORD BLOOD BANKS is good and is likely to be of much more use. Please see below a list of public sector cord blood banks.
Where can I get further information?
Also, if you want more detailed information on this from an unbiased source, please click on this link which is the
Indian Academy of Pediatrics position statement on umbilical cord blood banking
